Comfort Zone (Out of)

Let’s talk comfort zone.

My husband is a runner.  Me, not so much. Every year, our family runs a local 5K around Thanksgiving, a Turkey Trot. Long story short, I’ll be running with my daughter this year. At eleven years of age, she’s…well, she’s fast. Last year, I ran the 5K with her and it was fine; I can run a ten-minute mile without a problem. But, darn it, she got bigger and faster over the last year and it looks like she’ll be shaving a few minutes off her time. Which means I need to step up my game. I don’t love running, only do it halfheartedly in the interest of exercise. I’m not into speed and I’m not competitive (at least not in this realm).   But my sweet little girl went out on a run with my husband last weekend and he told me afterward how steady she was. How fast.

Uh oh.

And so this week I began running with new intent. I began pushing myself, just a little. Because I want to be able to run with my girl, and I’d like to do it without gasping for air or puking as I cross the finish line (okay, perhaps exaggerating that second part). So no more halfhearted. I’m All In. I’ve had three good runs this week. I feel motivated. I’m also aware that I’ve stepped outside my comfort zone.

Which is good. That’s often where the growth is.

I think it’s time to get a little uncomfortable creatively as well. I’ve felt quiet lately. Not exactly unmotivated to write or photograph. But quiet, and not doing much of either. I’ve been allowing this to be so, because sometimes stepping away from something brings clarity, brings space. But I’ve been stumbling upon telling passages in books and magazines; I’ve been listening closely to conversations I’m having with people. And some messages about stepping outside my creative comfort zone keep coming my way.

I’m not comfortable sharing these messages right now (let’s not get too carried away with this out-of-the-comfort-zone thing). But I will tell you that I’m listening and I might be close to stepping. I will tell you that I know what it is to feel vulnerable and unsure. I will tell you that I know what it is to feel simultaneously excited and scared shitless. And I wonder if you know this too. I bet you do.

Comfort zone. It’s so…comfortable. But a little stretching, a turn down a new path, a little more openness…it’s sometimes hard to initiate, but once we do…well, there’s no more complacency, there’s no more halfheartedness; there’s only All In.  Which is good.

Are you in?

Sending a little love your way, m

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